Wiring Issues

[TiptonR]

Need some info here, if possible. Just got back from a week-long trip to Ohio and then back down the Skyline Drive in VA. Going up, we had left turn signal and left brake lights, running lights, but no right turn/brake lights. Replaced bulb but did not fix. Coming home, we stopped at Loft Mtn. CG on the Skyline Drive and when we left the next morning, everything worked. Stopped and spent the night in Staunton, VA and the next a.m., had just the opposite problem: right turn/brake worked fine but had lost left turn/brake lights.

This has me perplexed. I took an ohmmeter when we got home and the wiring on the tow vehicle is exactly the reverse of a diagram I pulled of a trailer wiring website. I then hooked wires to the battery of the camper and began trying to trace which plug prongs went to which light and found that, per the diagram, it is completely wrong. It's a seven-pin setup. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Bob

[TiptonR]

Need some info here, if possible. Just got back from a week-long trip to Ohio and then back down the Skyline Drive in VA. Going up, we had left turn signal and left brake lights, running lights, but no right turn/brake lights. Replaced bulb but did not fix. Coming home, we stopped at Loft Mtn. CG on the Skyline Drive and when we left the next morning, everything worked. Stopped and spent the night in Staunton, VA and the next a.m., had just the opposite problem: right turn/brake worked fine but had lost left turn/brake lights.

This has me perplexed. I took an ohmmeter when we got home and the wiring on the tow vehicle is exactly the reverse of a diagram I pulled of a trailer wiring website. I then hooked wires to the battery of the camper and began trying to trace which plug prongs went to which light and found that, per the diagram, it is completely wrong. It's a seven-pin setup. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Bob

[Kablewizard]

I had the same trouble last year, not switching side like yours, it was the left side only. I found on my Bayside with 7 pin, the the pins and wires are set this way......
1. Green - - - running lights
2. Red - - - Left turn Signal / stop
3. White - - - Ground
4. Blue - - - Electric Brakes
5. Brown - - - Right turn Signal /stop
6. Black - - - Battery
7. unused /Aux 12V

What I had found was a corroded ground when i used a ohm meter it was OK but wit a voltage draw it didn't what I did was use a Wire that was grounded good to the frame of the Truck and touched it to the outside of the bulb holder and the lights worked then I just redid the connections. With your time of day thing, not sure of where you were or the humidity but could have had some moisture there too. Yours could be from the truck to the junction in the tongue area or a splice up there. If it switches sides, it in the common wires. Not in a socket.

Hope this helps

[TiptonR]

OK - I think the plug on the vehicle end is bad. Could be just a bad ground, like you said, but this plug is new (2 months, and this was the first tow) so I'm gonna take the vehicle back to the shop that installed the plug and have them figure it out. Today I'm not getting 12 volts at the tow vehicle end on left turn signal pin.

Wiring on trailer end is good. Took it apart and cleaned up some corrosion, etc., then checked all lights/pin assignments again - everything's good there.

Thanks for your help,
Bob

[Kablewizard]

Good job Bob. Hope they will do it right for you.. have fun

[Hitchhiker]

Hey Bob,

If they can't fix it for you, bring it down to my house, I'll fix it for you. We're about 25 miles south of Johnson City.

Also, I'd like to invite y'all to camp with us at Meadows of Dan 8/4 to 8/7.

[TiptonR]

OK, now I'm lost again. Took TV to shop that installed 7-pin plug. They found a blown fuse in the factory tow pkg. fuse box (didn't know there was such a thing). They could find no shorts in vehicle wiring.

I checked one other thing on the trailer plug: resistance. I get resistance across ALL pins on trailer plug with ground probe on white pin. Should I replace the trailer plug?

Thanks,
Bob

[Hitchhiker]

Some resistance reading would be normal between each of those terminals and the white lead (Ground). What you're reading is the resistance through the various light bulbs on those light circuits and the brake magnets on the blue #2 connector.

If the battery is installed in the trailer and there isn't a disconnect switch in the rig, I'm not sure why you didn't blow the fuse on your ohm meter when checking the black #4 power circuit. Should be ~12 volts there.

Richard

[TiptonR]

Richard,

Thanks for the info. I do have 12 volts on the black wire (didn't try to measure resistance there as I knew it was 'hot'). So, resistance is normal? Never thought about the 'complete' circuit through the bulbs, etc. There is no disconnect switch.

I changed the plug on the trailer end so we'll see what happens.

Thanks,
Bob

[Kablewizard]

sorry been on the road for the last 2 days, looks like Richard took care of you.

[Ray,IN]

Ninety percent of wireing problems can be traced back to a poor ground. Here is a great website for wiring both ends of the plugs.